Mariachi music becoming popular in nations across the world

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS — Among Mexican-Americans in the United States, mariachi music has maintained its popularity for more than a century, especially in states that border Mexico, like Texas. But there are now mariachi groups in all parts of the United States and in some European and Asian nations as well.

Mariachi music has long been popular with San Antonio’s large Mexican-American population.

But among the young people performing at this event was 12-year-old Anani Rhames, an African-American girl who fell in love with the songs she heard in Mexican restaurants and on local radio stations.

“I like ‘Las Margaritas,’ which is about daisies and I like ‘El Pastor,’ which is about a shepherd,” she said.

Anani can relate to rural themes because she lives on a ranch and sometimes sings to her horses.

“You can actually connect with them. You can build a bond with them,” she said. “When they hear you their ears kind of perk up and they are like [it is as if they were saying] ‘hmmm, interesting.”